In the palletizing of pieces to be stacked upon the pallet, relatively large loads must be transported on comparatively short paths, requiring these loads to be rapidly lifted and lowered and displaced back and forth.
Because of the short path, it is difficult to achieve high speeds because time is required for acceleration and deceleration.
A harmonic low-wear process can only be obtained if the weight is at least partly balanced. For that purpose the lifting slide, which engages the workpieces via the tool pickup head, is connected with a counterweight.
In the customary palletizing apparatus with respect to which the present invention is an improvement, the counterweight is provided on the lifting slide. As a consequence not only is the counterweight moved during the vertical movement of the lifting slide, but the weight of the load and the counterweight must be disclosed whenever the slide and carriage are horizontally shifted. The drive of the carriage, therefore, must be dimensioned to accommodate the load of the counterweight and the acceleration, movement and deceleration thereof.
The weight contributed by the counterweight increases the wear of the components, requires installation of higher drive capacity and accounts for a corresponding increase in the energy consumption of the apparatus.